The Rider's Forgotten War
by ACMiles
Summary: Long before the rise of the Empire another threat would bring Alagaesia to the edge of destruction


Monister stared out into the golden plains in horror, as the bandits moved ever closer. They burn the field of crops as they march and what ever inst burnt is crush under boot. Monister cant recall ever seeing bandits so well organized, a cold bead of sweat dripped down his back. As the last of the farmers ran through the gates he yelled at the others to close the gates, but even so he isn't confided that the walls will hold.

A horn blew from the somewhere behind the bandits, and like flipping a switch they charge forward in a sprint. The yells cut through the day, like a song of ever impending doom. Monister grasped the wall in front of him and suppressed the urge to run and hide. A gust of wind blows smoke and ash across the plains, Monister's long shaggy hair as well blew into his eyes.

"Archers!" Monister yelled. The men with bows run forward to the edge of the wall. Monister sighed and rubbed his face with one hand his other rested onto the pommel of his sword. He would never claim to the best swordsman but this is his home and he'll be damned if he won't kill as many as possible.

"Aim! Knock! Loose!" Arrows streaked through the sky embedding themselves into the bandits. Dozens fall, but the rest push forward. The bandits let out a scream of fury.

"Again hurry!" Monister screamed. He knows the wall wont hold. "Terith, get the people out of here! We can't hold off these numbers." A small portly guard turned to Monister.

'You cant ask me to leave you sir!"

"That is an order Terith, I wont have my family die!" Monister's eyes went wide in angry.

The archers let arrow after arrow go and the bandits assault slowed on verge of breaking. A horn bellowed from the back of the bandit's formation, and made the bandit redouble their efforts. Monister sighed and turned to the village. Women and children all looking at him, He motions at them to run.

"Go you fools! Take the Eastern Gate!" Monister begged.

The first of the bandits reach the western gate, and start to bash against it. Blow after blow shake the wall. Monister drew his blade, and a grimace settled over his face. Terith jumped from the wall and ran to the villagers yelling for them to run. A bandit climbed up onto the wall, and Monister charged. His blade cleaved the bandit from shoulder to hip.

"Leave this place! You will get nothing but blood!" Monister yelled at the bandits. But the bandits keep coming and the wall started to shake. And bandits climb up on to the wall and killed any guard in their way. Monsiter fought and slew five more bandits with swift slashes of sword. The wall itself started to bend and buckle under the weight of all the men fighting atop it.

Monister jumped down from the wall and tried to the rally the guards back.

"Fall back! Protect the villagers!" The guards jump down and surround Monister. Blow by blow the bandits are cut down by the guard. But, every bandit is seemingly replaced by another.

"Form a wall don't let any by you, or I swear I will find you in the next life." Monister growled. The guards hopped into action, and with shield bearers in front they form a make shift wall. The battle slowed to a lull as the bandits didn't dare charge the shield wall.

The horn again was heard from the other side of the wall. And a young bandit who could not have been older than fifteen charged into the wall. He was pierced through by a spear. But one by one the bandits ran with no regard for their own lives. Monister pushed to the front of the shield wall.

"Move aside I need to see what's happening." A small gap opened and he was shoved out in front. Monister looked in disbelief, a man with crimson hair, eyes and pale white skin. A Shade. The battle was well and truly lost, they had never stood a chance. A Bandit charged Monister and scored a hit on Monister 's off sword arm. Monister drew his blade up into the bandits neck, blood ran down the blade covered Monister's hilt.

Monister killed another, but the bandit left him with a large wound across his chest.

"Curse you," Monister fell to one knee. He crawled back away from the battle. "Hold my men, don't let a single bastard by." More and more Bandits pour over the wall and Monister's will broke. He without saying a word fled the battle field. Monister welled with shame, he was leaving his men leaderless. But he will not lose his family to these god forsaken monsters.

Monister ran through the village to his home which was located near the eastern gate. He heard his men dying behind him their screams would haunt him if he believed he would make it out of this village alive. He rushed to his home and pushed open the door.

"What are you doing!" His wife Reise turned to him.

"We are collecting our belongings." She explained her son, Iro looks on in terror. Monister's breath came hard and ragged, and stumbled again and fell to his knees in the house's foyer.

"Leave it, you don't understand. There is a Shade, a real Gods' damned Shade." Reise dropped the bundle she was carrying, tears falling from her eyes. She ran to Iro and grabbed his hand.

"What's a Shade?" Iro asked his small voice trembling in fear.

"It matters little now, all I know is you two must get out of here." The family left the house never to set foot in the home again. Reise covered Iro's eyes as the bandit now had overwhelmed the guard, and the left dead bodies in their wake.

"The guard?" Reise asked panting. The sounds of the fighting, and the screams of pain, made it hard to hear over the noise.

"I don't know," Monister answered shame etched into his face. Reise let out a sob and kept running. The streets are filled with one on one battles between the scattered guards and the bandits, bodies laying ever where. Monister stumbled forward but caught himself, before crashing into the ground his vision flickering.

The small family arrived at the one road that leads to the eastern gate, Monister motions his wife forward.

"Go, I have shamed myself enough for one day."

"Monister… I love you." Reise embraced her husband, one last time with all the love she can muster.

"If the Gods speak true we will met again. Iro, be strong my son, I love you." Iro cried out as Reise grabbed him up into her arms and rand down the street.

"Noo father!" Iro cried and struggled against his mother. As they turn around a corner Iro saw bandits rushing towards his father.

Monister smiled as his family ran towards the gate. A sense of peace washed over him.

"Real touching moment," A deep voice rang out. A bandit slowed to a walk in front of Monister. "its too bad once I kill you I'll have to kill them as well."

Monister growled anger replaced the peace in his heart.

"You will never touch them!" He roared and half ran half stumble at the bandit. The bandit laughed deeply as Monister ran up the dirt road at him. The bandit hefts the large battle axe off his shoulder and swung it at Monister. Monister raised his sword trying to parry, but the blow was just to strong for him in his weakened state. The sword was ripped out of his hand, and sent spiraling into the air.

The bandit laughed even harder as the blow also knocked Monister balance off and he fell backwards on to rear.

"Look at this little guard trying to be a hero," By this time a large group of bandits had stopped to watch the battle, this being the one road to the eastern gate. The group of bandit howled in laughter. "Poor little guard, you will die knowing that your family, your village, and your pride are all going to die."

Monister grimaced as blood poured from the wound on his chest. He reached back, his hand reached the hilt of his hunting knife on his back.

"My family will have reached the gate by now you bastard." The smile on the bandits face made Monister stomach turn.

"The eastern gate, it would be a real shame if there were more of us waiting there."

Monister roared and struggled to his feet, he must get to his family and protect them. With as much speed as he had left and charged again, again the bandit swung his axe. Before the attack even landed Monister knew he was going to be to slow. The axe buried itself deep into Monister collar bone and into his chest. The blow was so terrible it almost cleaved his entire left side off his body. Life flickered out of Monister's eyes, with the last of his strength and ripped the knife from its sheath.

With his good arm Monister plunged the knife deep into the bandit's eye. Monister's face was pale and lifeless, even before he hit the ground. The bandit never he registered what had happened. The two collapsed into each other both dead. The group of bandit took pleasure from the turn of events, and laugh again. They then look down the street and ran towards the villagers with no one to slow them down.


End file.
